Haydar's a happy Wing

As MLive.com's own Ansar Khan reports, the Red Wings have signed Darren Haydar to a one-year, $525,000 contract.

The 28-year-old Haydar told the Milton Canadian Champion that he's thrilled to be joining the Red Wings family:

July 23, Milton Canadian Champion: "I'm excited. Who wouldn't want to be part of a Stanley Cup champion organization? That's my mindset right now," Haydar told the Champion Monday afternoon, having just inked the contract and FedEx-ed it back to his new club following a weekend fishing trip with his girlfriend's family in northern Wisconsin. "They're a first class team that plays its skilled players, so hopefully this will give me more of an opportunity (to play in NHL)."

Not in the future plans of Atlanta -- where last fall he saw his first and only real stint in the show, a 10-week tenure during which he had a goal and seven assists in 16 games -- the AHL veteran seriously considered what he described as attractive offers from teams in Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. But in the end the desire to continue his quest for permanent residency in the NHL remains just too strong.

"I don't know if this season is my last chance, but I should know after this year if it's (prolonged stay in NHL) going to come about or not. I'm not getting any younger."

The 2006/07 AHL MVP (with a league-leading 41 goals and 81 assists) now finds himself on an organization loaded with depth, but one that also has stable management and plays a skills game -- two things that could work in his favour.

Serving as [the Chicago Wolves'] captain this past season, Haydar helped lead the Wolves to the Calder Cup -- his second in four years -- with 12 goals and 15 assists. During this latest run he became the AHL's all-time leader in both post-season goals and total points, breaking the old marks of 51 and 119 respectively.

Haydar's hometown of Milton is halfway between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, so he's glad to be moving from the AHL's West Division, which is comprised of teams in Illinois, Texas, Iowa, and (for the 08-09 season) to the North Division, which includes two Ontario-based teams (Toronto and Hamilton), two teams in Western New York (Syracuse, Rochester), a team from Ohio (Lake Erie), and my favourite province, Manitoba--most of which are much closer to "home":

"This will be my first season in the Northern Conference (with Grand Rapids), where most of the teams are fairly close to home."

Haydar's a very small guy at 5'9" and 170 lbs., but he's an elite scorer at the AHL level, and the Griffins desperately needed some veteran leadership after losing Mark Cullen (Vancouver), Carl Corazzini (Edmonton), and Mark Hartigan (Dynamo Riga, KHL). The Wings hope to round out the Griffins' roster with another scorer, a heavyweight forward, and a veteran defenceman or two.